Sport

Hughes hoping for United boost

Stoke manager Mark Hughes hopes his side's impressive defeat of champions Manchester United can spark an upturn in fortunes.

The Potters won for the first time in seven Premier League games as they saw off United 2-1 courtesy of a Charlie Adam double last weekend.

Hughes, who brings his sideto St Mary's tomorrow, felt his team had been on the wrong end of a number of contentious decisions in the preceding games but now hopes luck is starting to change.

He said: "The atmosphere here is always shaped by the results of the previous weekend so obviously we have had a good week. It was a huge result for us.

"We had been playing, certainly at home, reasonably well but some things had gone against us and we were feeling a little aggrieved by the lack of luck we seemed to be getting.

"We had a little bit at the weekend. We're boosted by that and hope our luck is changing in the right way.

"We want to try to build on it. It would be disappointing if we couldn't go on some kind of run now. We feel we have the capacity to do that.

"We haven't been able to do it to any great extent after big results, but it is about making sure we are working hard and trying to make that happen.

"It is difficult in the Premier League, a number of factors make it difficult to go on good runs.

"But we all feel that, given the result and performance against United, this is the time we need to address our away form and hopefully go on one of those runs."

Stoke have won just one of 12 games away and travel to ninth-placed Southampton this weekend.

The sides are now just two places apart after Stoke's win over United saw them shoot up from 16th in a congested table to 11th. Defeat would have put them into the bottom three.

Hughes said: "I think it is quite unique. I don't think I can ever remember, either as a player or as a manager, so many teams as tightly packed as they are at the moment.

"The positive from that point of view is if you can get a couple of back-to-back wins, very quickly you can go up a number of places.

"That is our intention at the weekend. Hopefully if we can get another win under our belts, and with another home game following that, the cumulation of points will move us significantly up the table."

Stoke are still 10 points behind Mauricio Pochettino's Southampton, who were one of the competition's more impressive sides in the early months of the season.

They held leaders Arsenal to a draw in their last home game and overpowered Fulham 3-0 a week ago and Hughes knows they will present another stern test.

He said: "Southampton are a good team. The manager has come in and has a certain way of playing, and he has got good players. They have spent well.

"They are a high-energy team and put you under pressure in your own half, so you have got to make sure you don't concede errors in your own half.

"They can capitalise on that and they have been doing all season.

"We have to be nice and solid and make sure we have a base and a platform to build from, and make sure we are threats going the other way as well."